World Cup: Lancaster ready for big kick off

World Cup fever is upon us and Lancaster licensees are gearing up for the fiesta of football.

Pubs with TVs and big screens in the city centre will be showing many of the games including the crunch England v Italy first round match this Saturday night (11pm kick off).

Jon Davis, landlord of The Golden Lion, said: “I’m expecting it to be packed. We’re a football pub so when the season finishes, England being in the World Cup helps trade greatly. If the team does well it gives everybody a lift.”

Sophie Morter, from Yates’s bar on Church Street, said: “We’ll be showing the World Cup in here. We’re usually busy when the football’s on.”

Both JD Wetherspoon pubs, the Green Ayre and the Sir Richard Owen, will also be showing the game on Saturday night - although a spokesman said the only football shirts allowed will be England ones “at the manager’s discretion”.

But not every Lancaster pub has caught the World Cup bug.The Borough in Dalton Square is advertising itself as a “World Cup free zone”.

“We never show live football or any sports so we don’t have football fans coming in,” said Chloe Horner from The Borough.